The annual Yiasou Greek Festival kicked off yesterday at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral. As I walked through the festival last night, I was transported back to Greece, surrounded by the intoxicating smells of sweet loukoumades and savory gyros.
Within an hour, I had eaten my way through the festival like Templeton the rat ate his way through the town carnival in Charlotte’s Web. Among the foods I ate were:
Lamb and beef gyro – Tender, thin slices of seasoned meat topped with a slice of tomato and tzatziki sauce.
Spanakopita – Flaky phyllo pastry sandwiches a filling of spinach and feta cheese. Served up hot, it was a buttery delight.
Mythos beer – The ice cold Greek brew washed down the gyro nicely.
Amygthalota – A crescent-shaped almond cookie made of flour, almonds, sugar, eggs and butter. The slight chew and almond flavors of the cookie were delicious.
and my favorite … Loukoumades – Greek honey balls that look like munchkins donuts, but better! Hot little balls of dough are fried up fresh, dunked in a bath of honey and then sprinkled with a healthy dose of powdered sugar. A. MAY. ZING.
The festival runs through Sunday so get over there. They also offer a drive through for your convenience. Read more about the festival here.
This article appears in Sep 8-15, 2009.
Are you confusing kourabiethes (crescent shaped according to Plato) with amygthalotas (small and spherical)? Just asking!